Philadelphia Union: Hackworth in search of central defender

UPPER MERION — John Hackworth’s first priority in Monday’s state of the union address was to declare Brian Carroll his new captain. The armband assumed by the 31-year-old midfielder fills the void left by on-loan captain and central defender Carlos Valdes.

While Hackworth found the process of replacing Valdes’ leadership relatively easy on a veteran-laden squad, filling the gap he leaves in central defense won’t be as simple or straightforward.

Valdes and Amobi Okugo forged a strong partnership there last year, about the only certainty on the team sheet from game to game. But the composition of a new pairing is anything but settled entering 2013. Based on Hackworth’s early training-camp comments, the pairing that opens March 2 against Sporting Kansas City would be completely changed.

“It’s still a little bit to be decided, but certainly having (Bakare Soumare) healthy and when Jeff (Parke) gets here from national team duty, I think you’ll see Amobi first and foremost in the midfield,” Hackworth said Monday at YSC Sports. “His versatility is fantastic for us. It gives a lot of questions to ask for the staff, which any coach wants to have. He’s one of our top returning players, so I would expect him to be in there somewhere no matter what, but it’s a good problem to have.”

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Okugo was one of the revelations of the early Hackworth era, flourishing alongside fellow 2010 SuperDraft first-round pick Jack McInerney when they were finally given the minutes under Hackworth long denied them by predecessor Peter Nowak.

Okugo, for instance, appeared in just 26 games, starting 14, his first two full seasons. Last year, he made 24 starts and 27 MLS appearances, developing into a central-defense stalwart next to Valdes. Primarily a central midfielder in his collegiate days at UCLA, the move to defense was seen as a needed career reboot, and the chemistry with Valdes was obvious.

Okugo’s focus this season, though, is getting on the field however he can.

“I’m just going into this preseason to fight for two positions, whether it’s center mid or centerback,” he said. “We haven’t even played a game yet, so everyone is fighting for spots. I’m just trying to be on the field and stay on the field.”

The obvious choice to replace Valdes is Soumare, the MLS veteran who appeared in just one match, a sluggish outing in August against former team Chicago, last season after injuring his knee on a loan spell from his French club to Karslruher in Germany’s second division.

Soumare wasn’t at full strength then, and though he could’ve pushed his way onto the field late in the regular season, there was no need with the Union out of playoff contention. Instead, the 6-4 Malian bided his time to get to full strength, and is champing at the bit to get on the field after essentially a year without a game.

“First I’m just trying to get back into the swing of things, get back to where I was before my injury,” Soumare said. “It was very frustrating. It’s my first injury since I’ve been a pro, so it’s been tough mentally. It’s part of the game though, sometimes there’s going to be ups and downs and it was one of the downs.”

The X-factor in the conversation is Parke, who was picked up by the Union from Seattle in December. The MLS veteran won’t be around for the beginning of training camp, instead working with the U.S. National team’s camp ahead of their World Cup qualifiers. A veteran of over 200 MLS matches, Parke will be very much in the mix for a spot somewhere in the back four.

In any case, the competition for spots in the side has ramped up.

“Carlos left, and we have the addition of Jeff as a really good player and Amobi that can play here,” Soumare said. “There’s still going to be competition. It’s not just because Carlos left that the spot is wide open for me to step in. We have to earn the spot, every single one of us. I’m excited, and I’m going to keep working hard the next five weeks, and hopefully by March I’ll be ready to go.”

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In the seemingly endless stream of drafts hosted by the MLS, the Union added five members to their squad Tuesday in the Supplemental Draft. This version, which is where the Union picked fullback Ray Gaddis out of West Virginia last year, is a less risky opportunity to add college talent, many of the draft picks being players coming off serious injuries or with other such question marks that forced them to slide from last week’s first-year player draft.

In the first round, the Union picked Yardley native and Pennsbury grad Eric Schoenle, a central defender who led West Virginia with six goals this season. He fell out of the original draft over questions about his strength — West Virginia lists him at 6-2, 147 — but soccer blog Soccer by Ives rated him as the top player in the Supplemental draft.

Schoenle was selected by the Union with one of two picks — Nos. 12 and 17 — acquired by trade with Real Salt Lake during the first-year draft. The latter was used on Uriah Bentick, a 6-2, 187-pound defender from Liberty University. The Trinidadian scored once and had four assists for the Flames in 2012.

Continuing the defensive theme, the Union plucked Princeton grad Mark Linnville in the second round (No. 24). The four-time All-Ivy League defender scored two goals and added four assists in 2012.

The final two picks addressed the attacking side, both from small colleges in New York. In the third round, the Union picked Jake Keegan, a 5-10 forward from Binghamton who collected 28 goals in four years, the most in the program’s Division I era. In the fourth round, they chose Leonardo Fernandes, a 6-1, 165-pound attacking midfielder whose 79 points (31 goals, 17 assists) are the most in Seawolves history.